Indians: Five minor-leaguers added to roster; Phelps cut

The Indians Wednesday added five minor-league players to their 40-man major-league roster, while infielder Cord Phelps was designated for assignment.
Pitchers Bryan Price and Austin Adams, infielders Jesus Aguilar and Erik Gonzalez and outfielder Carlos Moncrief were added to the roster.
Price, a 27-year-old right-handed reliever, had a 2.04 ERA in a combined 75 innings at Class AAA Columbus and Class AA Akron, while averaging 11 strikeouts per nine innings and holding hitters to a .206 batting average. Price was acquired from Boston as part of the 2009 deal in which the Indians traded Victor Martinez to the Red Sox.
Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said Price will compete for a spot in the major-league bullpen during spring training.
“Bryan really thrived at Triple-A this year and made a lot of progress. He has a good fastball, one of the most effective ones in minor-league baseball,” Antonetti said.
Adams is also a 27-year-old right-handed reliever. He missed all of the 2012 season following shoulder surgery, but was dominating at Class AA Akron, averaging 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings in 47 appearances. He had a 2.04 ERA and held right-handed hitters to a .158 batting average.
“He really bounced back well from his surgery and has one of the best arms in the minors,” Antonetti said. “He has a power arm, with really good stuff and he could also compete for a spot on our staff in spring training.”
Aguilar, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound right-handed hitting first baseman is a rarity: a Tribe minor-league position player who has some power. At Akron this year, he belted 16 home runs and his 105 RBI ranked sixth in all of minor-league baseball. Aguilar is playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he is tied for the league lead with 10 home runs and second in the league with 31 RBI in 131 at-bats.
“He’s getting closer (to the big leagues),” Antonetti said. “He made a lot of progress this year and has a bright future. He’ll start next year at Triple-A and could be an option for us (at the big -league level) sometime during the season.”
Moncrief, 25, is a left-handed hitter and a former pitcher who was converted to the outfield two years ago and has improved every year. Starting in 2011, he has hit 16, 15 and 17 home runs in the last three years. This year at Akron, he hit .284 with 17 home runs, which tied him for the most among Tribe minor leaguers, and 75 RBI.
“He’s was one of the highlights of our development system this year,” Antonetti said. “He’s a very good outfielder with a well above -average arm, and he’s improving as a hitter.”
It’s unusual for teams to protect a Class-A player on their 40-man roster, but the Indians liked Gonzalez enough to do exactly that. In a combined 508 at-bats with the Lake County Captains and at advanced Class-A Carolina this year, the 22-year-old right-handed hitter batted .254 with 32 doubles, 12 triples, nine home runs, and 76 RBI while starting games at all four infield positions.
“He’s another great development story. He’s an above-average defender at all the infield positions and worked as hard as any player in our system to get better this year,” Antonetti said.
Phelps, a third-round pick by the Indians in the 2008 June Draft, was never able to get his career over the Class AAA hump. The 26-year-old infielder hit .267 with 9 home runs and 46 RBI at Columbus this year. In 113 major- league at bats with the Indians over the last three years, he hit .159 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI.
The Indians’ 40-man roster now stands at the maximum of 40.
“There were a lot of tough decisions to be made,” Antonetti said. “There were another handful of guys who deserved to be on the roster, but we only have so many spots.”